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Meat, Italy

Venetian style calf’s liver with grilled polenta

Venetian style calf's liver is an Italian dish for 4 people, ready in 40 minutes, rated easy, at about €4.00 per person. It pairs calf's liver seared very quickly with onions that melt slowly in butter, served alongside grilled polenta. The key to success is cooking the onions low and slow, then the liver fast and hot.

A Venetian classic, fegato alla veneziana, melt in your mouth calf's liver with plenty of slow cooked onions, served with grilled polenta.

Venetian style calf’s liver with grilled polenta
Total time
40 min
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€4.00
Calories per person
460 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall

Fegato alla veneziana starts with the onions. Melted gently for twenty five minutes, they turn jammy and almost sweet, and that base carries the whole dish. The calf's liver, on the other hand, only spends one or two minutes in the pan, staying pink and tender inside, never dry or rubbery.

This is a weeknight dinner that breaks the routine, or a slightly more thoughtful Sunday meal. Grilled polenta brings the crunch that the tender liver and soft onions are missing, and its mild flavor lets the white wine sauce shine. Expect mixed reactions if you have kids, liver isn't always a crowd pleaser at the table.

The ingredients

4 people

Butcher

  • Calf's liver, thinly sliced 600 g

Fruits and vegetables

  • Onions 5
  • Parsley 4 sprigs

Dairy

  • Butter 50 g

Pantry

  • Olive oiloften in the pantry 2 tbsp
  • Dry white wineoften in the pantry 10 cl
  • Instant polentaoften in the pantry 250 g
  • Wateroften in the pantry 1 l
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Allergens Lactose

The step by step recipe

  1. Thinly slice the onions and cook them slowly in the butter and oil over low heat. 25 min

    Add a splash of water if the onions stick, they shouldn't brown.

  2. Make the polenta, spread it in a dish and let it cool. 10 min

    It needs to cool down so it can be sliced.

  3. Cut the cooled polenta into slices and grill them in a pan or in the oven. 10 min

    Oil the pan well, the polenta browns better that way.

  4. Turn up the heat, add the liver strips to the onions and sear for one to two minutes. 3 min

    Season with salt only at the end, salt toughens the liver.

  5. Deglaze with the white wine, let it reduce, sprinkle with parsley and serve with the grilled polenta.

    Don't cook it any longer, the liver should stay pink in the center.

Our tips to get it right

  • Pick liver slices that are thin and evenly cut, they'll all cook at the same rate and stay pink in the center.
  • Make the polenta well ahead so it has time to cool and firm up, otherwise it crumbles when you slice it.
  • Salt the liver only at the very end, never before, since salt draws out moisture and toughens the meat.

The variations

  • Swap the calf's liver for chicken liver, it will cook even faster and taste milder.
  • For an organ meat free version, use thin veal scallops seared the same way over the onion bed.
  • To save time, buy pre cooked polenta in a tube, just slice it and grill it straight away.

What to serve it with

  • An arugula salad with lemon
  • A glass of dry white wine
  • Garlic sautéed spinach

Storage

Liver doesn't reheat well, it quickly turns rubbery, so it's best eaten the same day. The grilled polenta keeps for 2 days in the refrigerator in a sealed container and reheats nicely in a skillet. The dish doesn't freeze well because of the liver's texture.

Questions about this dish

How do you pick good calf's liver at the butcher?

Good calf's liver looks smooth and glossy, with an even reddish brown color and no strong smell. Ask your butcher to slice it thinly into even strips, it's easier to cook just right that way.

Can you make the onions ahead of time?

Yes, you can cook them down the day before and gently reheat them before adding the liver. This also lets you split the prep work across two sessions.

Why does liver turn tough when cooked?

Liver toughens when it cooks too long or gets salted too early. One to two minutes over high heat is enough, it should stay slightly pink in the center.

Can you swap out the polenta?

Yes, mashed potatoes or plain rice also pair well with this dish. Grilled polenta is worth keeping around though, its crisp edge contrasts nicely with the tender liver.

How long does it take to make a Venetian style calf's liver with grilled polenta?

Count 40 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in a Venetian style calf's liver with grilled polenta?

About 460 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a Venetian style calf's liver with grilled polenta cost?

About €4.00 per serving, or €16.00 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains lactose. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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